World Spins Madly On
by intersects
Summary: It's the classic 'Aww, man' moment. The last person Tommy expects to show up the way she does has a mission to complete.
1. Your Ex Lover is Dead

**Author's Notes:** This is my AU-verse that I've been playing about since re-watching the first three seasons. Master Vile never turned back time and the Rangers' coins were not destroyed, so when the letter came from Florida, they still harnessed their Ninja coins and didn't need to go on the quest for the Zeo crystals. Hope you hang tight for this ride and its sequel, too! :)  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Mighty Morphin Power Rangers._  
**Pairing/Character: **Kimberly, Tommy

C. 2008/disparate

* * *

**World Spins Madly On**  
_Chapter One: Your Ex-Lover Is Dead_

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* * *

  
_

You know she's there long before she even speaks. It's the way it is, or at least how it _used to_ be. It's how you can feel her eyes burning a hole at the back of your head, or the quick shuffle of feet that is unique to _her_. It's the classic 'Aww man' moment.

"Put the sabre down, Tommy."

You turn slowly. She's clad in her pink outfit – you decide that it looks just like her Ninjetti uniform, but this – this is different, somehow. She's more built, more muscular. She even looks taller, even though you are still a full nine inches taller than her.

She says it simply, like 'We've got to go', or 'We're going out', or 'We miss you', and your heart wrenches at the thoughts, because these expressions are from a different time, a different place. A place you and she hardly belong now.

You don't put the sabre down; instead, you tighten your grip on the handle.

"Give me the key, Kimberly," you drawl out her name for the effect. You see her flinch a little, but the look pass just as quickly as it came and all that is left that you can see in those brown eyes are disdain and annoyance.

"You're not going to hurt me," she states flatly. It is the tone of condescendence, and maybe she is even a little haughty. After all, the both of you know who is in charge of this situation. _Dammit_.

"No, you think I'm not going to," you look her squarely in the eyes. She scoffs, and now it's your turn to flinch. You know she notices it. You know, because she gloats. You can't see beyond her mask but you know that little smirk of hers. The one she wears on her face every time she proved someone wrong, the one that appears every time she wins a battle. You used to like that, but now you're starting to re-think that opinion… You decide you don't like it used against you.

"Just put the sabre down." No emotions, nothing. You search desperately for a window of opportunity to strike through her humanity, but so far you can't. You know she's trying to piss you off with this muted range of expressions. You hate that. And she knows it.

"It doesn't have to be this way, you know," you try. You try to appear as nonchalant as she is, but you have a feeling you're failing miserably. She stares you down. _Way to go, Oliver_.

"I don't have to do… what?"

"This."

She scoffs again. It sounds like an empty cough. "Is this the best you can come up with, Tommy? 'This'? Tell me what 'this' is."

You don't want to. You hate to admit it, but you're afraid of the memories. You hate the memories. The never-ending wonders of _Why? Why the hell? What happened?_ And so you stay silent.

"I'll tell you what 'this' is, Tommy," she insinuates, and you cock your eyebrows. You wonder what she is going to talk about. "This is about me losing all faith. This is about me questioning every thread of humanity I ever thought there was."

_What the fuck is she talking about?_

And so you tell her: "I don't know what you're talking about."

Your hand is still tightly gripping the handle of your sabre. You see the confused flashes in her eyes, which you're sure mirror yours perfectly at this moment. Then you start thinking about how classic this moment is – the two of you actually feeling the same thing.

You can never forget that day: Zordon had instructed all six of you to look in the viewing globe, and so you did. Then you couldn't believe your eyes, and neither could your teammates. Kimberly Hart, the first Pink Ranger, announcing in her own way that she was out to freelance for anybody for the right price. Your team is looking for a set of twelve keys; keys to unlock a great power. And Kimberly Hart had stolen four of them, right under your noses.

You still haven't figured out why.

"Stop playing games with me," she finally decides to reply. "Just put the sabre down, and let me pass. I'll even forget that I met you."

Your instinct makes you retort.

"What happened to the Kimberly Hart I knew, the Kim that won't hurt a fly? This is not you. The Kimberly I knew would do everything in her power to stop people from getting hurt. What happened to her?"

"She grew up." Three words. _Just like 'I miss you'_. And then you curse inwardly again.

"Kim – "

"There aren't any lines to draw. I'm not evil." _But you're not good either, Kimberly!_

"You're going against your ex-teammates." You plead with her, almost. You think she softens a little, but the next moment that hardened look is in her eyes again.

"People will love you, or people will betray you. I happen to believe the latter is true for me."

You are still confused. What happened to this woman you loved (and may still love, your heart argues) and why is she so cynical? Why is she acting in a way you never thought she could?

You put your sabre down. You don't know what she intends to do with those keys, but you believe it when she said she wouldn't use them for evil. For a split second you doubt your decision – after all, like you said, this isn't the Kimberly Hart you know.

But you think – know – she's still somewhere inside her.

She's gone, swift as the wind; graceful as the Crane.

* * *

You toss about in bed, and your eye catches a glimpse of the offending letter in the slightly open drawer. You can probably recite the contents by heart now. Still, you sit up in your bed and pick it up gingerly.

_Dear Tommy,_

_Everything is going great here in Florida. Coach Schmidt has me as ready as I'll ever be for the competition. Tommy, this is the hardest letter I've ever had to write. You've always been my best friend, and in some ways, you're like a brother. But something has happened here that I can't explain. It's both been wonderful and painful at the same time. Tommy, I've met someone else._

_Tommy, you know I would never do anything to hurt you. But I feel like I've found the person that I belong with. He's wonderful, kind, and caring. You'd really like him. Everything would be perfect if it weren't for hurting you. But I have to follow my heart. I will always care about you, Tommy. Please forgive me._

_Kimberly_

This isn't the first time you feel a strong urge to just tear it into tiny little shreds. You resist it once again and place it back into the drawer, slamming it into the wall forcefully. The wall shakes and the painting (you've never figured out what possessed you to hang the half-assed attempt of a vase you've painted in that class you decided to take up in sophomore year up) almost falls out of its nail.

You glance at the clock.

2 a.m.

2.24 a.m.

2.47 a.m.

You don't know how you manage to drift to sleep, but you did. A few hours after you wake up you decide to teleport to the Command Center, and so you put on your clean pair of jeans and a white wifebeater. Spending every minute of your spare time trying to decipher the codes and tracking down the locations of each of the keys actually makes you feel like you're doing something really good for mankind (since you aren't doing any good for yourself). Besides, you are the least busy in the team: Billy's pursuing his doctorate, Katherine's off somewhere dancing, Aisha's occupied with her animal shelters and helplines for animals, Adam and Rocky have their chain of dojos to manage (they've approached you, but you declined).

Sometimes you feel like Zordon should present you with a plaque that reads 'Most Dedicated Leader: Tommy Oliver!', because that is what you are. It wasn't like this appointed responsibility could be included in your resume, or even the sheer fact that everyone thinks you're just a good-for-nothing car mechanic still living in Angel Grove. And that's when you wonder if you're just plain stupid to throw your bright future away slaving away for the good of the world.

Then now, now that Kimberly's in the game… You know just how intelligent and how resourceful she is, and it is going to take you an even longer time now to even try to best her.

Somehow, in between these thoughts of you and her and what-ifs the alarms in the Command Center blare, and in brilliant flashes of coloured light, your teammates teleport one by one. All of you look at the viewing globe: It's just another one of those useless monsters sent down by whoever's fighting for the power for the forces of evil. You frown at yourself as you realize that a part of you want the intruder in the little town to be Kimberly; that if it is her, you get another chance to make sense of what is going on, and what she meant with the things she said.

Sending Rocky to take the monster down, you find yourself staring at the box containing the five keys you managed to retrieve. Kimberly now has four – five, you correct yourself, after being reminded that she got that key from your last encounter. There are still two more keys undiscovered, and you swear silently that you will get them back before Kimberly does.

Sometime during this mental debate, Zordon booms out with his deep voice, asking if you are all right. You say you are.

You know you aren't.

* * *

You don't know what spurred you on to decide that you want to walk home from the deserts today, but the long walk helps to clear your head – just a little. Besides, even though you still practise your martial arts religiously each morning for an hour, you want to be prepared for even the toughest opponent.

It must be your fatigue, or the assumption that your house is safe because you lock your doors and windows, or the fact that you have security cameras at every corner of your house armed with intruders' alert, because you are certainly caught off-guard when you find _Kimberly_ sitting on your couch, as if she is _supposed_ to be there. You stiffen immediately, as she stares at you and her eyes seem to bore holes into you.

"What are you doing in my house?" you ask quietly, all sorts of replies racing through your own mind. _I miss you and I want to forget about what happened years ago; I want you back now, Tommy; Let's forget about everything, and we'll move to somewhere peaceful and quiet and just be _us_…_

No such luck, you realize, as she stands up with deliberate measure. She is wearing a short skirt and a pink tee shirt. You hope she isn't here at your house picking a fight.

"I want those keys, Tommy," she answers your question, then with a glance around the house she adds. "Nice house, by the way. Your security system sure stumped me for a few moments."

"I'm not going to surrender those keys," you tell her, and then to yourself, _not without a fight anyway_. You see a small smile grow on her face, and you inhale deeply. "Why do you want those keys anyway? What use will the great power be to you?"

"_I_ don't plan on using them," she tells you straight, and you frown. Even now, you can't figure out her plan. So you try a new tactic.

"Who do you work for?"

"My clients pay a handsome fee for their privacies, but if you ever decide to leave that post as the fearless leader of the Power Rangers," she shoots sarcastically, "then I think you can look for me to hook you up."

You just stare blankly at her, no coherent thoughts running through your brain. Who is this person, and where did she hide Kimberly? So before you even realize the consequences, you choke out the one burning question; the most inappropriate question considering the situation, but the one that has been on your mind for six years.

"Why did you send a Dear John letter to break up with me?" You cringe when you hear how desperately juvenile you sound.

Now she stares at you. You see something unfamiliar glaze over her eyes, and she shakes her head slightly, her eyes squinting.

"What letter?"

You stay rooted in your position, still unable to process any thoughts. Then you walk into your bedroom, open the drawer and took the damned letter out. She stands just right outside your bedroom, left hand on your doorframe. You take another look at the letter, then shove it into her hands.

You look at her eyes. As she reads it silently, you think you see confusion, defiance, disbelief and determination all meshed together, dancing in those brown eyes. After what feels like an eternity, she puts her hand down, and looks straight into your eyes.

"I didn't write this."

Your heart skips a beat. You stare at the offensive piece of paper, then at her again, but she doesn't meet your gaze. Instead, her eyes are closed and the next moment you see a folded piece of paper materialise in her hands. You gape, and she cracks a small smile; a smile you didn't think you'll ever see again.

"Just one small perk for the freelancer," she tells you, then wordlessly she hands you the paper. In your heart, you seem to already know what it says, but you unfold it anyway and scan the words. This is your handwriting, but you swear to God, that is not you. You didn't spend six years agonising about a break-up over a letter to do the exact same thing.

_Dear Kimberly,_

_Everything is fine here in Angel Grove. We're handling it as well as we could with everything life's throwing us. Kimberly, this is going to be one of the hardest letters I'll ever have to write. You've been my best friend, my confidant, my sister, but after you left something has happened here that I can't explain. It's both been wonderful and painful at the same time. Kimberly, I've met someone else._

_Kimberly, you know I would never do anything within my power to hurt you. But I feel like I've found the person that I want to be with the rest of my life. She's wonderful, kind, caring. You'd really like her. Everything would be perfect if it weren't for hurting you. But I have to follow my heart. I will always care about you, Kimberly. Please forgive me._

_Tommy_

The words from both letters are almost entirely identical and before you know it, conspiracy theories are running amok within yourself. You look up, hope illuminating your eyes (and they're a little moist, too), but she's gone. Again.

* * *

You don't hear from her until a week later. God, she catches you at the worst moments ever: this time you are huddled over the engine of your car, wondering what the hell is wrong with it. Your face is greased, a little stained, and you're all sweaty and smelly.

She stands behind you, and you don't even realize it until she speaks.

"Car trouble?"

You jerk your head up and hit against the hood. _Ouch_. Sheepishly, you turn behind to face her, and she holds out a piece of tissue paper towards you. You accept it, wipe your face with it, and then when you look at her again, she seems to be exceptionally interested in her fingernails.

"You know, if you're going to check your nails in any part of this town…" you shoot her a genuine smile and just when you think she's going to, too, that unfamiliar, all-business look took control again and your smile fades. She moves closer to you, footsteps still a little uncertain and hesitant.

"I want to cut us a deal," she informs you matter-of-factly. "You can choose the easy way out, and we'll work together and get the remaining two keys. I'll withhold my duty to hand them over until after we figure out what the keys can do. Or, if you think your life isn't as screwed as it is already," you think she gloats, but you aren't sure. "You know I'm going to find a way to steal your keys anyway."

You're about to answer her when your communicator beeps. Holding your wrist near your mouth, you tell Zordon that you're listening. His booming voice informs you that there is another monster attack on the outskirts of the city, and you sigh, letting your arm drop to your side.

She looks at you expectantly.

"Look, I've got to go now, okay?" you tell her, because you know you can't make a decision about the keys without coming to a group consensus with the, you know, _group_.

She rolls her eyes.

"If I don't hear from you by this time tomorrow, I will assume you are going with the latter option." She doesn't miss a beat and instead, turns on her heels and starts to leave, but you grab her elbow. She's surprised… then you do the unexpected.

You kiss her.

As you pull away from her you see the shock in her eyes, and you shake your head, knowing in your heart that _oh fuck Tommy you are a fool_. You're the one to turn away now, but the next moment you find yourself spun a little around and for the whole two minutes after, you're savouring her taste as your mouths meet, your tongues playing catch and release, your hands touching her in the most inappropriate places; you're breathless but all you want is her.

Then as fast as it comes, she breaks the kiss and then stares in disbelief – of you, or herself? You can't decide. The two of you stay there in this awkward position (you realize you still have your hands on her hip, and quickly you drop the grip) and this time you avert her gaze and then you do the stupidest thing ever.

You teleport to the Command Center.

You don't pay attention to a single word that Zordon says, and you know he's frustrated with you. You apologise, take a deep breath, and when Aisha comes back, triumphant over the monster that was on the outskirts of the city, you tell them that Kimberly (you even manage not to flinch and even keep a straight face as you roll her name off her tongue) has proposed to join forces. Zordon seems surprised, Alpha is happy ('Oh, Kimberly! I haven't seen her for ages!') and the rest are in considerable shock.

Half an hour later no one has reached a compromise. For every pro, a con is tossed up to refute whoever's point, and you use every ounce of your determination not to scream the fact that, _fuck_, you _know_ and they know that she is still Kim, and not just the villain of the month that you have to eliminate.

Finally, Zordon speaks. You wait with baited breath for the verdict, and he says _Yes_.

Your heart leaps with joy for a second, and then it sinks.

You don't know if Kimberly will ever want to face you again after what happened.

* * *

It's after dinner, and you're in your room again, mulling over what happened in the afternoon. Out of the blue, your communicator beeps a different tune – in fact, they are long and short beeps, and by the time you realize that it's Morse code, you've got the message when it repeats the third time over.

_WAREHOUSE. 10 PM._


	2. Take Me To The Riot

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Mighty Morphin Power Rangers_.**  
Pairing/Character: **Kimberly, Tommy

C.2008/disparate

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**World Spins Madly On**_  
Chapter Two: Take Me To The Riot_

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_

It's 9:45 and you're aware of how skitterish you are on the road. Billy thinks it's silly that you even still _have_ a car, given all of your abilities to teleport at will now. It's become a certain perk Zordon promised after all your years of service, but you just shrug and nod when he goes on about how amazing this fringe technology is and how all of you should just embrace it, since there's no personal gain mandate to abide by for teleporting now.

For you, the car is just a reminder of how normalcy looks like. A world without having to drop everything you're doing just to keep the world safe, one villain at a time. A world where zords and Ninjetti abilities and everything else that you've encountered since entering the fold as a Ranger don't exist, and maybe even a time when letters aren't conjured out of nowhere.

Shit. You can't stop linking everything you think about to _her_, and it's such a torture. It is like the river dam has stopped working and all your unsanctioned thoughts are just pouring out from where you had once suppressed them. They're uninhibited creatures of their own, angry at being locked away in the deep, dark abyss of your mind, and now? Now they want to come out and play, bent on showing you what you've missed these past six years.

You're so focused on your thoughts that you forget there are other cars on the road, and it's only when the other driver honks angrily and gives you the finger that you slow down and take a deep breath. The warehouse district dredges up old memories, more unpleasant than not and it's a topic that hasn't crossed your mind in a very long while. It was there, under the evil control of Rita Repulsa that you'd attacked the team for the very first time with the Dragonzord. Even after the spell was broken, you notice how physically hurt and drained they all were after the fight, and despite assurances from everyone that it was okay after, because it wasn't like you could think for yourself, it doesn't make it all better.

And that's when you realise that this is probably why Kimberly chose this location for the meet. It was the best place to unnerve you. If it had been anyone else, you'd have seen that it's just a trap; a battle of nerves and wit, but this is Kimberly Hart and as the afternoon has proved, all rationale flies out the window when it comes to her.

You walk around the warehouse twice. The ground is wet from the rain in the evening, and your sneakers are making sounds that go _squish_. The cold air is biting at your exposed arms but you just grit your teeth and tuck your hands in your pockets. In retrospect, you should have gone right into the warehouse through the door and settle this thing once and for all, but something stops you.

Correction: your bubbling feelings stop you.

You feel like you're back in high school all over again.

Working with the team and having to fend off enemies over all these years had stopped you from over-analysing your failed relationship with Kimberly, and as long as she was out of the picture, you know she wouldn't be a distraction (the phrase 'out of sight, out of mind' pops up in your head immediately). But now she's back and with such a baffling attitude, you can't help but _over-Tommy_. It's a phrase coined up jokingly by your friends, over your certainty of questioning anything and everything over and over again to ensure the safety of everyone. It's worked well in this line of work that you do, so you don't take offense.

But you don't _want_ to over-Tommy things with Kimberly. Of course, you should have thought of this before stupidly kissing her in the middle of the road. You should have thought of this before thinking how good and how right it was to have her in your embrace again, like a missing piece to a puzzle, even if she's seemingly a whole different person on the outside.

Finally, when your watch gives a little beep and you know it's ten, you take a deep breath and push the door of the warehouse open. Adjusting your eyes as quickly as you can, you scan the area for her, that familiar streak of pink. She's perched on top of a crate, sitting with her legs crossed and even though you can't see very well, you know that her sight is fixated on you. You don't ever get rid of that feeling, not before, not now.

She jumps down, lands on her feet gracefully and you're reminded of just how tiny she is.

"You're on time," she finally breaks the ice after the many awkward silent moments danced away in the dark of the warehouse. It doesn't help that you just stay rooted in that spot and stare at her stupidly, not knowing what to say. So you go along with a, 'Uh, yeah.' It's a simple process, you coach yourself. Tell her that the team will work with her. Then ask her about her thoughts on what happened in the afternoon. Just peachy keen.

"So. I - Zordon – we decided that we should pool our resources to look for the remaining keys," you start. She gives you an unwavering nod, and as it turns out, she's all business after that little awkward faux pas. Ducking her head under a table, she retrieves something you recognise as a scanner, and the morphing grid presented as a map of Angel Grove, with a sheet of some dubious material on top that has red circles all over the city. You recognise some of the locales, being that these are the places you've gotten the four keys in your possession from. She takes a deep breath and concentrate, and you do the same; pink and white orbs swirl around each other for a while before being sucked into the scanner. You stare at her, like your eyes are possessed and not your own before you blink and shake your head at yourself.

"I just think it really sucks that these keys don't just present themselves on the morphing grid," Between fleeting thoughts you hear her say that, and it's half a moment later that you realise she's making some small talk with you, as the scanners gave the map a sweep. You feel your voice catch up in your throat and then clear it in a loud cough. She seems unfazed, though, as she chooses to ignore you when it's clear you aren't going to give her an answer after her comment, and stare at the morphing grid instead. When the scanner beeps, you see her eyes lose that hopeful glint.

"Guess even our combined powers couldn't trick them into showing their locations," she concedes. And now there's nothing in your mind but the thought about how you really want to know how Kimberly's changed so much in the past six years. It is clear as day that she isn't going to just pour her heart out to you, like the Kim you knew before would, but it wouldn't hurt to hope.

"Yeah. I guess not. Our powers have grown through the years thanks to Billy," you volunteer the information and see her struggle to keep a neutral face when Billy's name is mentioned. "But so has Rita and Zedd's. They – "

"- have seemingly realised that Earth is a lot bigger than Angel Grove? No?" Kim supplies, a knowing smile unwittingly playing on her face. Try as they might, Rita and Zedd _still_ can't expand their reach beyond the city of Angel Grove, not with the team around. Civilians come and go, prices of property plunged, no businesses were stupid enough to set up base there (alright, maybe one or two, but man, did they flee quickly), but there are still many who choose to stay in the residential areas. You never understood why they'd do that, what with the industrial buildings falling apart and collapsing on a weekly basis, weird life-size birds invading the parks, power lines getting disconnected every so often, amongst all the other weird things that transpire when the forces of evil are at work. Three years ago, you'd relocated your family out of the city – the decision was hard, but at least you know they're safer on the outside. The novelty of having this elite team of fighters for your city wears off, and you can tell that the city is slowly lugging and halting, but no one is willing to let go.

"We do a good job keeping the peace here," you answer her. Over the years, it has also grown into some sort of pattern and the usual emergencies don't really require the Shogun Megazord assembled; the individual zords were enough, most often than not. Especially with your fellow teammates' foray into the real world and all of you going to college around the California area, it was paramount to both Zordon and you that no one sidetracks their lives any more than all of you already have. Back when that decision was made, your mind drifted to Kimberly even after she'd broken your heart with that letter. If it had been a different time, she'd probably still have been able to stay the Pink Ranger and be alongside the team during battles. There were thoughts of recruiting new, younger teenagers as Rangers, but ultimately Zordon decided that his hand-picked Rangers could still be the upholders of justice for a few years yet.

"Yeah, imagine my shock when I come back and find that my favourite shopping mall is _gone_," she laughs a little and your heart lifts, if only for a bit. Now she's starting to sound like the old Kim, and she must have realised that too because she stops laughing abruptly and shifts her glance away from you, and you shake your head and purse your lips into a defiant quirk.

"Kim."

Crossing her arms in front of her, she looks at you finally. "Hm?"

"I, uh," you start, intending to say something, anything at all, to keep whatever you have with her intact, but at the last second duty calls. "I think we should continue looking for those keys."

You think she's looking disappointed by what you'd just said, but that look passes as quickly as it comes. She's about to speak when the scanner starts buzzing and her attention is diverted from whatever she was going to say.

"We've got a location."

* * *

"_Aye, the White Falcon and the Pink Crane have started their search together." A quivering primate, not as far developed as a human but still intelligible enough reported, its arms hanging low next to its legs. The other presence in the room frowned._

"_That is not right. The Falcon is not supposed to assist in her part of the search for the Great Power. We need to move up the spacetime continuum schedule right away."_

"_If it means… elimination?"_

"_Something we should work hard to prevent, but if the situation is to prove to be that dire, it will be a worthwhile sacrifice."_

* * *

It's fascinating to watch her in action again (and this time, as a bonus, it isn't against _you_) but it was a tough fight with the Tengas. The two of you managed to keep them at bay though, and before long they were flying back with their dignity left destroyed yet again. You grin, but the mask that your Ninjetti uniform comes with hides that smug look from anybody.

The location itself proved hard to teleport to, as if there's a shield around the parameters, and when the both of you stepped across the boundaries, Lord Zedd's fighting machines, the creatures modified heavily from Ivan Ooze's biological emissions, started swooping in to attack. They have the little habit of showing up each time you are moments away from retrieving a key, although you're sure that Lord Zedd and his evil counterparts in the Lunar Palace can't possibly even know of the existence of the keys. Why the Tengas attack each time is weird, but hardly a pressing issue to work on.

You're chattering non-stop while the two of you walk even closer to the actual destination, about that one time there were at least fifty Tengas all at once, and how the team handled it when she finally speaks up.

"Grow up, Tommy," sounding like an off-hand comment as a little sigh punctuates her sentence. You feel like she's just given you a hard slap on the face and you recoil, the look on your face shocked. Did she really just say that to you?

"Excuse me?"

"You know what you're doing. Being passive aggressive isn't going to help anything. So, grow up," she says again.

The truth is, yes, you know exactly what you're doing. You've been talking weirdly since the two of you have set off for this key, dropping entirely inappropriate comments almost like a soul thoroughly possessed. Hinting to your past relationship; asking about what feels better, transferring her powers to Kat or winning the Gold at the Pan Globals; alluding to the fact that she's just been sharing her Ninjetti powers with Kat; over-sharing what the team has been doing in the time she's been gone… In your defense though, all you want is a reaction, instead of the calculated glares she has been throwing you.

"I don't know what you're talking about," you fib, keeping your sight straight ahead of you so that she won't be able to see your eyes, which you know will give your lie away. She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Tommy. But if this is about the kiss just now – "

"It's not about that," you quickly reply.

"Fine. And I'm supposed to be the girl here?"

"I'm human too, you know," you mutter under your breath. She hears you, you're sure, but she isn't replying back with another snide comment, and you're glad.

* * *

The air is still and the uncomfortable silence grows exponentially since you stopped talking about ten minutes ago. The quest for the keys has always just been your responsibility from the team, but at this moment in time, you wish that someone – _anyone_ – could be alongside you and Kimberly. You have since mellowed out with her abrupt, cold comment about you being childish and immature, and the worst part is you can't disagree.

Excruciating minutes later, and you finally stand in front of the secret hiding chamber after a small dig underground. When you spot the box, you can't stop the feeling of glee wash over you. "There it is," you marvel. This, then the last one and you'll be home free. You look over to her and she gives you a nod, and the two of you advance towards it, expecting to just take the key as easily as you have for the previous ones.

"Get down!" she yells, and the both of you duck as a myriad of arrows start shooting out seemingly out of nowhere as they materialise. This is new, you think, the other keys didn't have its own defense mechanism like this one does.

As you turn around to see if you can get the both of you out safely, the chamber glows with a weird purple aura. You can feel the panic over-taking your natural system of order but you suppress it as best as you can. However, even with your best efforts, you are thrown back by the force field when you charge head-on outside the area… and right into the path of the arrows.

Well. Shit. By the time you realise what has happened, a shot of sharp pain surge through you and you and Kim both stare in horror at your bicep: there's a big, gaping hole where one of the arrows has impaled you.

* * *

You sit, cross-legged on the floor of the chamber, forcing the power to give you some much-needed energy and strength when she stops pacing the length of the chamber and plants herself next to you.

"Just listen. When I got that letter, it was like the world just – crashed," she intones, looking you straight in the eye, daring you to keep that connection. It's hard to concentrate, but you try your hardest to. You know she's giving you the answers that you have been yearning for since she came back, and you struggle to remember everything she's saying. "It all made perfect sense at that time. I moved out to Florida, I hear from you once a week and then it got even more sporadic with my training and your Ranger duties. When I won the meet, literally the only person who cared enough about it was Jason. It's like I just ceased to exist when I left."

You're sure the guilt on your face speaks volumes. Yes, you were busy at that time with everything going on, including trying to graduate high school with good enough results, fighting off the monsters, but you know you're just making excuses to make yourself feel better right now. The truth is… you don't know what the truth is. You loved Kimberly so much back then, and thinking back, it actually feels really weird to have acted and felt the way you did.

"I actually had plans to fly back out here. Back to Angel Grove. Drove myself to the airport, all armed to buy a ticket. Coach Schmidt was _furious_, the team was supposed to build on the success for a regional meet, but I wasn't going to let you break up with me like that. On the way, I got into a car accident."

Your eyes widen but when you try to get a word in, she holds up her hand and you stop short, enthralled by the story she's telling. "Or at least what everyone thinks is a car accident. Coach Schmidt told me I was in a coma for four days, but the truth is, I know I was gone for longer than that. It's much, much later that I figured that in that instant, I was teleported to Phaedos."

"As in…"

"Yes, Phaedos. There, I was told that harnessing the Ninjetti power was not only dangerous, but also forbidden. When I handed my Crane power coin to Katherine, my duties as a Power Ranger ended. I wasn't supposed to still have my Ninjetti abilities, but I did." She pauses, then cracks a smile. "Still do."

"That doesn't explain being teleported to Phaedos," you point out and she nods, as she flips her Ninjetti coin between her thumb, index and middle fingers deftly, like it's something she just does when she's bored.

"The most logical route to go down would be to strip me of my powers, but I wasn't thinking straight. I actually fought back. I fought the hardest I could, there wasn't any room for mistakes." Her voice is quiet and the expression on her face is controlled, as if any emotions shown will be a show of weakness, and you hate that she's doing that. "It was a choice that I'd made to keep something that has been a part of me. The great power, the withdrawal of it, it's not fair to go through that alone. It was the darkest period of my life…" She pauses again and sighs. "I don't want to re-live what I went through, Tommy."

You nod, shifting your body uncomfortably; your arm definitely throbbing and numbing by the moment. She notices that and places her hand on top of yours. This isn't a huge step, but it is a change and it manages to take your mind off the pain for a while.

"So what happened next?" you ask, keeping the quiver in your voice to a minimum and succeeding. The other Rangers should be here any moment since it's been quite a while since you've sent out that distress signal, but for now you don't mind just the companionship and the intrigue of the woman right beside you.

"Tests after tests after tests, and finally I was back on the plateau where we first received our Ninjetti powers. The spirit animals were all standing there majestically. Animals I didn't even know were activated. The crane was circling around the rocks, then it exploded into bright lights. Katherine must have felt it too, it was excruciatingly painful." As she says that, you're again surprised by the revelation. "I thought I'd failed somewhere along the line, and that I was going to die. But the orbs of light simply separated and with another bright burst, they formed two different cranes. One's Katherine, one's mine."

You interrupt her story with a 'ah, shit' when you see and feel the blood gushing out of your wound again. It isn't a pretty sight, and you clench your fist into a ball but you can't stop your arm from shaking. She stands up and as your raise your head to look at her, you wonder what she's doing. She's ripping at the cloth of her uniform, and straightens the wide strip of cloth before crouching down again.

"It's going to hurt," she tells you, then brown eyes softening she averts your gaze and mutters a 'sorry', before tying the make-shift bandage around your arm and you inhale sharply. She isn't wrong; it does hurt like a bitch. When she's done, you let out a choice expletive and she stifles a laugh. Hey, if it takes getting hurt to actually make her lose that cold front and laugh, you're all game.

Before you can really think about what she's just told you, or ask more questions though, the rest of the team has teleported just outside the forcefield, and you can see their shock at Kimberly's presence. She shifts awkwardly but is able to instruct them to use their coins to create a counter pressure so that the force field could be broken, and you're not surprised that it actually works.

"Tommy, you're bleeding!" Katherine exclaims when she sees the blood-soaked bandage, and she throws Kimberly a wary glare. You let yourself get helped up by Adam and shake your head at Kat. "It's okay. It's the key. Arrows materialised out of nowhere to try to stop us from taking it."

You turn around to prove your point by looking at the box, but the key isn't there anymore. You snap your head around only to find that the woman that has been your companion for this journey has disappeared as well. The rest of the team look uneasy at this development and you kick at the rocks on the ground.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ You berate yourself inwardly. Clearly, Kimberly has taken advantage of you and concocted up that stupid story that made you lower your defenses around her. Now she's got the key and you don't, and undoubtedly she's got the upperhand once again.

"We better get you back to the command center to see what Zordon can do about that hole in your arm," Rocky says, and no one opposes that. The weight of the situation hangs heavily as you let out an exasperated sigh before the team teleports in another sheer display of striking colors.


	3. Life Effect

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Mighty Morphin Power Rangers_.**  
Pairing/Character: **Kimberly, Tommy

C.2008/disparate

* * *

**WORLD SPINS MADLY ON**  
Chapter Three: Life Effect

* * *

The dojo is a great place to take your pent-up frustration out on. It's no surprise to you when you see Kat at the benches waiting for you to finish plummeting the poor punching bag to its doom. Taking your towel from your bag, you make your way over to her, grabbing a bottle of energy drink while you're at it.

It's interesting, really, to an outsider observing your friendship with Kat. She's easygoing, but also refined and you don't find it hard at all the talk to her. This mutual affection has been misconstrued as romance by the others, but neither of you mind the allegations. For now, you're glad that you have the option of discussing the Kimberly situation with her; the other Rangers simply wouldn't understand or empathize, especially because she's their friend too.

"You're lucky the bag can't punch back," she quips when you sit yourself down next to her, and even then you can't manage to fake a brave front. "You really shouldn't have, you know. Your stitches are liable to burst, or something," she says after a beat of silence. Ranger technology can only do so much and you had to get actual needlework done for your arm, but it isn't life-threatening like it had been down in the chamber. Shrugging and taking another swig of your drink, you begin to unwind the protective bandages around your knuckles. "How's the dance recital going?" you ask.

She throws you one of _those_ looks.

"It's going fine. But you and I both know that's not what you want to talk about."

You sigh, letting the bandages drop on the floor. "I can't believe she played me – us – " you amend quickly. "Just like that."

"You haven't seen her in six years, and she looks like she would do anything to get the keys," she supplies, and you know she's just trying to be helpful but all you can do is stare at the floor for the moment.

"She didn't send that letter," you say quietly. You can sense Kat's surprise and the unasked question, so you continue. "She came by yesterday, before. Appeared at my house, actually. We… talked."

"Maybe she lied about the letter," she suggests, and you immediately interrupt with a "No!" and when she looks taken aback, you put on an apologetic stance, shaking your head at yourself as you speak.

"She got a letter from me too. Supposedly."

"That's… convenient," she says, and you can hear the doubt dripping from those words. Everybody's grown wary and cynical over the past few years; even the most optimistic of the team has waned you know you're not the only one weary of everything going on in your lives. Being Rangers require you to abide by a code of honour, and it's that code that makes things so exponentially hard sometimes. "And, alright. Let's just say that's true, that she isn't that horrible person you thought who broke up with you. She still escaped with the key last night."

"Yeah, she said things about herself and I actually believed her. I actually trusted her like I did before," you tell her, and you're maybe a little shocked at the venom you hear in your own voice. It disgusts you that even now, you're falling right into the traps Kimberly has obviously set for you, because she knows what your weakness is: her. "She says she's still Ninjetti."

"The crane?" Kat questions, her hand fiddling with her communicator, as if protectively over it. You nod, briefly remembering what Kimberly said about the pain, and for a moment you let curiosity bite. "Do you feel like your spirit animal's different? From the first time you wielded its power and now?"

She shoots you a strange look, but knit her eyebrows together anyway as she thinks. "Different how?"

"Just… different. The abilities you draw from it."

"Actually…" she cocks her head to a side and purses her lips together before continuing. "About four months after Kimberly gave me the power coin, I was in the power chamber when this huge wave of pain overcame me. Luckily, Zordon managed to infuse me with some of his power and the pain faded away eventually. After that, whenever I morphed to Ninjetti or as a Ranger, there's a much – I don't know how to explain it, really," she pauses to contemplate how to phrase it properly. "Like my powers are much more weighed down and anchored instead of the free flying crane before." Beat. "Not that that's a bad thing, because I like it like this better."

You draw in a sharp intake of breath. No, _no_, you can't think that Kimberly was telling the truth, but it looks like there really are two cranes out there. It makes sense, you realize, because Kat doesn't seem to be getting her powers depleted and Kimberly has been using the Ninjetti powers – two people can't be using the same power source at the same time, you know that much.

"What's wrong?" the blonde girl notes your silence and looks at you with a raised eyebrow. You heave a sigh and stand up, flipping your towel over your shoulder and then giving her a hand to get her up too.

"Nothing. I'm going back to the Command Center to get some readings and analysis done. You coming along?"

"Actually, I'm meeting someone for lunch in about half an hour. You should get something to eat too, Tommy." And she's right, you're famished, but the revelation that she just unknowingly gave you is on the most front part of your mind right now and you can't concentrate on something as paltry as food.

"Maybe later. Enjoy your lunch, Katherine, I'll see you later."

* * *

_The time is getting closer and beneath the earth, it trembles. Thousands of years of knowledge and wisdom, thousands of years of biding its time is coming to an end soon. It can feel the magical threads in the air, but time is its core, and waiting isn't the problem. It stirs from its slumber, eagerly anticipating the moment its great power can be unleashed upon the chosen ones. _

_But for now… it waits. It'll be soon, but first, time has to mend the cracks it has caused – it can never kill the true heart. Before the prophecy can be fulfilled, it can only lay low and stay there like it has for the thousands of years before._

* * *

The thing about teleporting is, it gives you a short adrenaline pulse every time you do it. The morphing grid gives you an immense amount of power for each teleport attempt, and the bursts of static electricity is invigorating, if anything. Nearly ten years after the first time you properly teleported within the morphing grid, and each time still feels like a new experience.

You know you're going to have to be extremely persuasive from the get-go, and so you take a deep breath before flicking your eyes sky-wards to look at Zordon the moment you land in the center of the platform. You start speaking evenly and rapidly, maybe even earnestly the same way you would have in your early days as a Ranger. "I want to know the truth, Zordon. What do you know about Kimberly and why she's doing this?"

Not to your surprise, the wise sage just sighs and shakes his head – or what you presume looks like he's doing anyway. "I'm afraid I cannot divulge this information to you, White Ranger. All I can say is that you have to trust your instincts on this. You need to figure it out on your own, Tommy."

You let out a frustrated grunt.

"For years I've served the greater good with no complaints. Now all I'm asking for is an answer to my _one_ simple question."

"Yes, Tommy, I am well aware. However, I am not allowed to give you that answer. There are rules to abide by, and I'm afraid this is one of the times that the answers you seek will find you when the right time presents itself."

You love Zordon like the father you never had, but when he gets as cryptic as he is right now, you can't help but feel a slight resentment. He must have sensed it too, but he chooses not to speak up on that. Not that you would have said anything stupid in front of him, but he does seem to have the uncanny ability to know what you're thinking all the time. Even when you're trying to fool everybody (and yourself), he always manages to unravel your thoughts that make you second-guess your decision before coming to the best one.

"Just tell me _something_," you plead, your eyes flashing with such grit and pain as you remember Kimberly's words in the chamber, but there is no such reprieve and you can only hang your head low, defeated.

* * *

It's another (nerve-wrecking) week before you catch sight of her again. No, she's not the one who's tracking you down now. In fact, with Billy's help, you've managed to retrace her link through your communicator and it gives you some sort of victorious delight to be able to see her through the viewing globe. No, not _Zordon_'s viewing globe; he wouldn't have agreed to do this to her no matter what, and while you're not proud to say this, you've been camping out at Billy's basement to be near this secret project of his. Despite that, she seems to have a protective cloak around her, and you can only see bits and pieces of her day, and maybe that's for the best, because there are some things you don't really want to be privy to.

And as it goes, that's how you find out that she's staying at the Angel Grove Grand, and that she hardly goes out of her room unless it's for food or to hit the gymnastics center downtown. And that she changes up her routine every single day and you are, despite your determination, in awe with what she's managing to do. Every move she makes, every flick of the wrist once again reminds you that she's hardly the girl all those years ago who would laugh her way out of training, only prepared for battle with her swift gymnastic moves and gracefulness. Instead, the woman you are observing right now is very conscious of every step she makes and calculated in the amount of damage it can potentially yield.

You don't want to be, but you are impressed. Impressed, though, is the last thing you want to be of her right now. Right now all you want to figure out is what her next step is going to be; where she's going to go after the last key so that you can cut in at the last minute.

The truth is, Adam has pulled you aside the other day and told you that he could tell that this is starting to get personal for you. You gave him a little laugh and told him that that deduction's ridiculous, and this has been your personal mission since the interception. He gave you that look that you know from experience that it meant he didn't believe you, but you're getting away with it anyway. He's not convinced, but you tell yourself that you don't get to be the leader of the Power Rangers trying to please everyone.

You've even convinced yourself that if it isn't Kimberly you're going up against, you'll still be this focused on the mission too, because if all the keys are handed to anyone but you, the world will be in danger. The consequences will be more hard-hitting than ever, and you're not going to let years of service go up in flames like that just because you're not giving it your utmost concentration.

In the midst of your thoughts, your phone rings. You reach for it absent-mindedly, fumbling for the button before bringing it to your ear, pressing your shoulder against the phone as you press a few buttons to stop Billy's viewing globe.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

You stiffen at her voice. You push yourself off the chair and then used your other hand for the phone against your ear, swallowing hard. Then you realize that she has, once again, made the first contact with you, and for that you want to laugh out loud. Which you do, but it's a bitter, empty laugh.

"Look. I know what happened is a shock to you, and I know you have questions. I have them too, but give me a chance and let me explain myself, okay?" Her voice floats over the networks and you sigh, pressing the heel of your hand against your temple hard, knocking against it twice even.

"Okay. We'll meet, somewhere public." _Now you can't disappear._ You can almost hear her weighing out her options.

"Great. The park, then. I'll see you in half an hour."

You throw your phone at your bed and it bounces off lightly on the floor, but you don't really bother with picking it up. You feel like you don't have time for the games or the witty banter, but you are obliged to go anyway and hopefully, as she had said, to get some answers and explanation of everything happening. It used to be so simple, it used to just be you against the bad guys, and they're destroyed or eliminated, no matter the degree of difficulty. There aren't supposed to be complications like going up against your ex-teammate, ex-… _everything_. That's the only way to categorize Kimberly and even you can't delude yourself into thinking otherwise now. Maybe before this debacle happened, but not now.

You head out of your front door, locking everything up and make your way to your car, even though the park's just fifteen minutes away.

She's already there and you're not surprised. She looks like she's not dressed for a battle and maybe you're reading too much into things, but you can't help but notice that she's definitely dressed to impress. God, you don't know how much you can handle her right now, not with the re-surfaced feelings or the fact that she knows exactly how and how hard to push your buttons. Keeping a steady pace, you walk across the park towards the bench she's sitting on, and then plant yourself next to her; a guarded distance away.

"Hey," she says as she glances at you. She's right, you know, in that being childish isn't going to help anyone here. But you also know that you mustn't let your guard down around her, the walls surrounding your heart quickly hardening as you nod in reply.

"Look, Tommy," she starts, twisting at her bracelet and then turning her body slightly to look at you. "I didn't mean to take off with the key that night. I just didn't want to stay there any longer than I needed to."

You don't – nay, you _can't_ believe her, but you keep silent and your arms crossed in front of you.

"It's not like I can do anything without your keys and you know that," she tries again and you catch a tinge of exasperation in her voice, which is when you decide to drop the cool guy façade and just face her too.

"You remember how you were talking about me having to grow up yesterday?" you ask, and she looks at you with surprise etched on her features, but she nods anyway. "Well, this is me. All grown up. And I have questions that I want answered truthfully. No loopholes, no lies, no cryptic half truths."

She opens her mouth then closes it again, her gaze diverting for a while. "Okay."

"Which part of everything you told me was true?"

And now she just seems offended as she crosses her arms too; a by-stander would have noted this and laugh because the two of you are in completely similar stances, yet feet away from each other. "Everything was the truth. Did you think I was lying?"

You're sure you just look sheepish, even though that's not your intended effect.

"Yeah, of course I did. Wouldn't you? If I told you that out-of-the-world –" She smirks and you know she's taking your words literally, and you can't help but chuckle. "That incredibly laid-out story, and then took off with the one thing we're even on opposite sides for, you'd think the same."

She chews her bottom lip in contemplation. "You're right. I would have. And I would've taken much more drastic measures than spying on you through a barely functional viewing globe on the morphing grid."

It takes you everything you have not to let your jaw drop, only staring at her in slight horror.

"Oh yeah. You think you're such a stealthy falcon. Truth is, you forget you leave morphanological signatures everywhere you touch on the morphing grid. You should probably remind Billy of that too."

"I want to know something, Kimberly," you blurt out, not even wrapping your head around whatever she's talking about now. The latest of the news that she's so knowledgeable about the morphing grid is flabbergasting and so unlike the old Kim (but then, she's not the old Kim, you tell yourself once again); knowledgeable about things you should have known in the first place had you not been so flustered.

"Fire away," she shrugs.

"How are you so learned? Just _what_ exactly have you been doing while you were away from us? You're definitely more in tune with the Power than Rocky is. Hell, you're probably more in tune with it than I am."

She lets out a little snort and covers her mouth with a press of her hand. "Remember when I said all that about the four days I was in the coma for?" _How could I forget_, you think, and you nod. "During that time, I must have spent at least five years on Phaedos and the other planets in this system studying all forms of the Power. Dulcea took me under her wing… literally," she allows that crack and a grin and you follow suit with a little chuckle. Ranger humour never fails to crack you up, time and time again. "And in the past few years, I've been trying to improve on my skills and learn everything while I still can. Then some other things happened," she waves her hand seemingly to dismiss that, but you file it in your head to ask her about that later. "I'm not going to lie to you, Tommy. I'm no inter-planetary celebrity but I know my way around."

"Knowledge is power," you breathe it out. So suddenly, your mind connects that Kimberly has become some sort of powered-up being much like Dulcea or even Zordon, and it's blowing your mind right now. You've just spent six years slaving away as the leader of the Power Rangers and there goes Kimberly, flying further and higher than you ever had. And maybe you're feeling a little short-changed.

"It's not all that cracked out as you're making it to be," she says, something in her voice makes you question about how she's feeling at this instant. "Sacrifices to be made, and apparently, I've been manipulated while at it," she ends the sentence with an angry flash with her eyes. Noting your puzzled look, she sighs. "I was told to use my disappointment, my anger and whatever feelings I had when I got the letter to channel into energy and power. That it was the only way to get rid of all my longing for something material to hold on to."

You stop short, trying to gather your thoughts in record time, mulling over what she just revealed. "Zordon told me something similar. If I let my grief consume me, I'll be letting the team down and we could all die, so I had no choice but to channel that into strength. Pushing down everything I felt." And you're suddenly angry with Zordon. _Zordon_, the one being you can trust and now it's possible that he had known about this plot all along to break the two of you apart in the most contrived manner ever? That's not something you can stomach.

"Why did we never attempt to make contact with each other after the letter?" she wonders out loud, and you can't say that the question hasn't crossed your mind in the past few minutes. When Kimberly had left during the school year, the both of you had hoped that distance wouldn't kill the relationship, making late night promises of weekly calls, old-fashioned letters (_oh, the irony_, you think) and you knew that at 17, with the future shining so bright for the both of you, you were so sure that things were going to work out. And then somehow, you managed to single-handedly ruin the connection the both of you had.

"I don't know. I didn't want to sound like this loser who pleaded with the girl who just dumped you over a letter that was read out by another friend," you offer slowly, feeling a little embarrassed by how childish your reason sounds. She gives a knowing smile to you, and for a brief moment her brown eyes are twinkling with amusement.

"Yeah. Me too. I was too proud to do that." There's a moment of comfortable silence as you both stare at the grass before she breaks it with a, "Hey, Tommy."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for being a mega-bitch since I came back." You hide a smile and wait for her to continue. "I hope you'll understand it from my point of view. You were the one who sent the letter and then never even bothered following up with a call. Or at least that's what I thought and knew anyway," she interjects as you open your mouth to correct her.

"I haven't been the most shining example of grace either."

"Ah, but unlike you, I actually have a mantle to live up against," she mock-complains. It feels strange that you're falling into old patterns after years of denying and unwillingness to face up to the truth, but you're actually having a good time conversing with her. It's something you haven't done in a long time and you might even allow the thought that you _miss_ it. You miss this with her.

Sticking out your right hand in the distance between the both of you, you look at her intently and she gives you a puzzled glance.

"Friends?"

She gives you a firm nod and a small smile, gripping your offered hand.

"Friends," she echoes.

You must have imagined it but some sort of static current definitely passed through and when you look at her; you know she felt it too. Before either of you can question the other about it, your communicator beeps out the familiar 6-note and you look at her hopelessly. She gestures for you to take the page and you look around the park; families and friends are having picnics and playing Frisbee around you, but you doubt anybody's paying much attention to anything else, so you lift your wrist and bring your communicator nearer to your mouth.

"Zordon, I read you."

"Tommy; Rita and Zedd have started on simultaneously attacking Angel Grove and Katherine and Rocky are both out of commission with their Zords. Please teleport to the Command Center immediately to regroup and lead your team to defend Angel Grove," his voice drafts over the morphing grid and you purse your lips together. Duty comes first as a Ranger and you push yourself up from the bench.

"I'm sorry to cut this short, Kim. I have to go. I'll, uh, I'll be in touch."

"Power protect you, Tommy," she says and on her face is a trace of the smile you have imprinted in your mind since the first time you saw her at the Youth Center. You give her one last lingering gaze before you round up the corner behind the washrooms and ease yourself for the surge of power in teleporting yourself.

At the Command Center, you realize just how grave the situation is with your team. Your powers are failing and despite the surges the morphing grid provides, it's not enough for the rapid-fire simultaneous attacks Angel Grove is suffering from right now, and you pray that the innocent civilians have found ways to escape while they still can.

"Tommy, you and Kimberly must find the last key and unleash the Great Power, or all hope will be lost for everyone on Earth," Zordon's voice booms out again as you stare at the viewing globe; Billy and Adam aren't faring too excellently against the huge threats but you can only wish for the best. "Your Shogun Zord has been re-powered but I'm afraid it's only temporary."

With Kat reassuring you that she can pilot the Zord and try her best not to get it overwhelmed, you press the button on your communicator determinedly, and teleport outside of Kimberly's room at the Grand.

It's now or never and you understand that, and before you even raise your fist to knock on her door, she opens it, pulling you inside the room as if she's been expecting you.

"Let's go."


	4. Set Yourself On Fire

**Author's Notes: **FINALLY, the end of a mini-saga for me. There are many unanswered questions though, which will all be revealed in a planned sequel! This is the first Power Rangers fic that I've ever completed, and it has given me a lot of room to play with from MMPR canon details. That said, if you're still interested in my writings, please check out my other PR fic, _Forever Rangers_, which is a re-write of _Forever Red_, but with more fire power, more characters and hopefully, a lot of awesomeness as well.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own _Mighty Morphin Power Rangers_.**  
Pairing/Character: **Kimberly, Tommy

C.2008-2009/disparate

* * *

**WORLD SPINS MADLY ON**  
Chapter Four: Set Yourself On Fire

* * *

"How – what in the world – " You manage to sputter as your mind races three hundred miles an hour, train-thoughts colliding with each other as you find yourself pulled into the room by Kimberly.

"I don't really have time to explain – _we_ don't have much time," she tells you, looking at you in the eye as she pauses from gathering up her equipment. You start to protest, but then you stop to gawk at the impressive sight of the room. Billy will be _so_ jealous! When you turn back to look at her, a questioning gaze on your face, she sighs.

"I'll explain everything afterwards," she says, turning her back to you and mumbles something that distinctively sounds like, _If we get out of there alive_ and you frown. You've never liked being kept in the dark and this time it's no exception. Not when the balance of the world lies with what you may or may not be able to achieve, or when the two of you have settled on some kind of truce on a (what you know now as a) non-existent feud.

"Okay," you finally say after a half-minute lapse, eyeing her curiously. "Then we'd better go. Before it's too late."

"Affirmative, I just need to – " you watch as she closes her eyes and concentrates in the space between her and the equipment, and with a flash of light pink the items are zapped to god knows where. "There you go." It might actually be a better plan for you if you can stop being shocked at the things she does now. The mouth open look is not a good look on you.

"Tommy." She's walking towards you as you wipe that surprised look on your face. Fixing your steely gaze at her, you wait for her to continue saying what's on her mind. "I need you to trust me."

You feel like laughing despite the situation. That's a tall order and the both of you know it. As far as you're concerned, the past few years have broken that bond that the both of you had even though neither of you are at fault. _I want to_, you think desperately, taking in a deep breath and pursing your lips together, giving her an uncertain nod.

"I'll try."

You don't quite know how to decode that look that glazes over her eyes, and by the looks of it, neither does she as those warm, brown eyes gets set with a newfound cold edge, and you breathe in with a sharp intake.

"Come on. Let's go." At her words, the two of you lock eyes again and in bursts of morphing calls and lighted energies, you're morphed into your White Ranger powers while her Ninjetti suit appears in place of her clothes.

She curls her fist into a ball and shakes it down, hard, once; in the space between the both of you. Her voice is void of emotions now, and you know this is it. One last key, get the Great Power, and get back to your team before Rita and Zedd destroy everything. "Follow my energy signatures, and when you get there, be careful. We don't know if there're going to be traps."

"Won't trick me a second time," you say confidently, and you think you spy a hidden smile, but before you can ponder on that any further, she's gone in a pink flash and you focus your energy to finding her.

* * *

You can't see her when you land, but you can sense her trailing signature to know that she's nearby, and immediately you breathe a little easier. The thing is, you have absolutely no idea where you are. Rows and rows of trees obstruct your view, the leaves shielding the afternoon sun's rays from your vision as you squint ahead, hoping to figure out where she is. It isn't easy letting go of your inhibitions as a leader, but for the sake of everything you know you must learn to let go and listen to someone else.

It gets just that bit harder when that someone else is Kimberly.

There's a rustle on the left and you heighten your senses, drawing Saba out in front of you as you get into a battle-ready stance, turning on your heel. You don't see anything though, but you keep your guards up.

"Over here," you hear someone hiss, and you know that it's Kimberly because you'd know her voice anywhere, and you assume that the strange rustling you heard was caused by her. From the corner of your eye you see the flash of pink, so you head over to her when something stops you in your track.

Or rather, someone stops you; someone invisible and you struggle against the hold. You land a solid punch in the space between the invisible entity and you, falling backwards from the force as the invisibility cloak is lifted.

"Tortus." You hear her snarl, her eyes flashing with anger. You have no idea who this Tortus person is, but he has the marks of the Ninjetti on his uniform, although where the gold banding is, his uniform doesn't, and it's black with dashes of red that reminds you of blood, and you shudder.

"So nice to see you here, Kimberly."

She moves to your side, a few feet away, fighting stance ready as she glares at him. "Get out of our way."

"Or else what?" He's haughty, cocky, as if he has an upperhand. Holding his arm out, a weapon materializes, and you recognize it as an energy depleting blaster.

"I should've killed you a long time ago, _Alex_," she spits out. You take the moment to absorb whatever you're hearing now, all the while observing Tortus. He's well-built, the pseudo-Ninjetti uniform not masking the muscular frame of his body. You can't really see beyond his eyes in the mask, but half of his face has been marked by something that you don't really recognize.

"Please. It's Tortus now. This forest is my home. You won't find the Timekeeper that easily." _Timekeeper?_ you think. That's new to you. You don't know much about the Timekeeper, but whatever little you have read in the Command Center and its archives, you know that the Timekeeper has not been seen in thousands of years.

She shoots back, her voice dripping with venom. "Like I said. I should have killed you a long time ago."

In a swift motion, Tortus aims the blaster at you, and it's almost like the scene is playing out slow-motion for you, yet you can't move; staying rooted to the same spot. Her eyes widened as she runs towards you and pushes you away from the beam.

You see her fall.

You don't nearly have enough time to react when Tortus aims his blaster at you again, and you roll out of the way in the nick of time, missing the beam by only a few inches. Hurling Saba at him, you manage to knock the weapon out of his hand, but that is enough for you to gain an advantage as you aim a flying kick towards him, sending him sprawling.

You have to finish this fight, and you need to do it fast so that you can see how Kimberly's doing…

_Crunch!_

He manages to hit you in the ribs, hard, and you're forced to retreat and change your attack strategy. Brute force isn't going to help you here, and you _know_ what you have to do to swing this fight your way.

_Trust Kimberly, trust her skills, trust her gracefulness and agility…_

Timing your execution perfectly, you call upon the power of your own Ninjetti animal spirit, hearing the familiar cry in the skies. Tortus looks up, confused at the sound and that's when you go in; your body flipping over from your hands to your feet and ending the routine with a powerful corkscrew kick, much like you had done at the monolith on Phaedos. With a grunt, he falls to the ground and you continue to attack, punches flying around. You're about to finish him off when _he_ teleports out before you manage to deliver the killing blow, but now that he's gone he's at the very back of your head. You only have one thought that is important to you at this moment.

_Oh god, oh god_, you think to yourself as you run faster than you ever have before, racing against your buckling knees and adrenaline. She's not moving, not even the heave and fall of the rhythmic breathing and you feel the sheer panic coursing through you.

You fall on your knees as you finally reach her side, pulling her limp body towards your chest, trying to access the situation. Searching frantically for a sign of life, you breathed a huge sigh of relief when you detect a pulse. A faint pulse, barely there, but a pulse nonetheless.

"Kimberly. Kim, Beautiful, please," you whisper fiercely into her ear, the old nickname bringing a lump to your throat as you say it. It's something you've known since she reappeared in your life; something you've been fighting but the truth is, you know you've never stopped loving her. It's the way the story goes, your destinies always intertwined with each other and you're only beginning to realize that now. "I can't lose you now, you've got so much to tell me, so much for me to learn…"

Slowly, almost painfully, her eyes flutter open and you cling to her, afraid that if you let go, she'll be lost forever.

"You need to… go on, leave… find the Timekeeper…" she gasps out, her breath harried and you can see her fighting the fatigue and the urge to just close her eyes. You shake your head vehemently.

"No, I'm not leaving you here. We're in this together, and we'll get out of this, together." Growling out, you carefully pry her mask from her uniform off so that you can see into those soulful brown eyes of hers. "I'm not leaving you alone."

She chokes her next words out. "Don't be… stupid." She punctuates it with a small laugh that seems to take up too much from her, and you sigh with frustration. You need her to take this seriously too.

Before you can get in another word, however, you see her emitting pink energy swirls and demorphing in your arms. _No no no no!_ You scream in your head, hating to think that it might be the end for her. She's so light, so fragile and you hold her closer, focusing your mind on transferring your energy to her, hoping that it's going to work.

"Kim, come on! Don't do this," you plead, as her eyes start to flutter shut, even though you can see her trying to fight it, you also sense that she's not able to do it much longer.

"Love… you – never stopped…"

You can't help the tears that spring up in your eyes, and your curl your fist into a ball and try desperately to shake her up.

"Me too, Kim, me too, I love you. I _love_ you." Your words come out in a tumble and your vision is misty, but you don't care because she needs to know. A long time ago you promised that you wouldn't let harm pass her way, and now it feels like a lifetime ago when you did that.

There's a bright flash of light and you hold your hand up to shield your eyes from it. Opening your palm to find a sparkling white gem, you see energy fizzling around it. You can feel the sheer power of the rock, and when look at Kimberly, you can see a similar pink one is in her hand and she looks like she's equally fascinated as you are with it.

"Only together will the able Falcon and the agile Crane soar to greater heights than any has ever been."

A voice speaks from behind your back, and you whip your head around to see who it is. It's an ethereal sight to behold, light white-washing the forest as a woman stands – no, hovers – before the both of you. She holds a staff in her left hand that looks just about like the grandest thing you've ever seen, pure energy emitting from it. From her right wrist hangs a clock, the _tick tick tick_ making you feel peaceful and calm just watching her, even though you have been feeling anything but that since getting here.

To her side stands a monkey-like animal, who looks at the both of you with trained eyes, and you shift a little, uncomfortable at the stare. It's all a little too much to take in, frankly, but you keep your stray eye on Kimberly. The energy from the pink gem seems to have given her her life force back, and you don't think you've ever felt more relieved, except maybe for when you'd rescued her from Zedd that time she was kidnapped and drained of her life source, too.

"You're the mighty and graceful protectors of time and the heirs to the Timekeeper."

"Wait." Kimberly pries herself from your arms and sits up on her own, though on her own accord she still looks groggy and out of it. "Heirs? What do you mean?"

"For when your time as Earthlings is up, you will be able to continue your destiny together in the quest to keep the eternal balance," is the reply. _Wow_. You don't know what to make of this new information coming at you in waves.

"I don't understand," you finally chip in. "If you're the Timekeeper, then aren't you here a little too prematuredly? We haven't found the last key to unlock the Great Power."

The Timekeeper smiles, and you stand up as well, holding your hand out to Kimberly for her to do the same. "Patience, mighty Falcon. Your questions will be answered in due time. You know in your heart what the last key is."

You furrow your brows in confusion, shaking your head slowly.

"Very well. There is a tale of an age-old prophecy, a telling of the story of two kindred spirits together, torn apart and then finding their ways to each other again. The story of the re-awakening of the Great Power. When the Order pinpointed the Guardians, your great masters Zordon and Dulcea knew immediately that the two of you are indeed what the prophecy is talking about.

"You needed to discover your destinies apart. The Falcon as the mighty leader of the force that protects the planet Earth, the Crane as the willing student and warrior of the planet Phaedos.

"The Great Power has bestowed upon you the joy of trust and the gift of love. Neither can operate with the other. You're not separate; instead you're united as a single unit. The last key is love, my young ones. It's in your heart all along."

* * *

"This is incredible," you hear her say, and you're inclined to agree. Soon after you learned about the prophecy, you discover that your gem also gives you the power to morph. Both of you have been experimenting with what you can do, and while it is still preliminary to know for certain, you know that these powers from the Timekeeper are stronger than anything you've ever wielded.

You're still trying to form energy balls in your hands after seeing Kimberly do it when the monkey-like animal walks towards you, holding in its hands a set of crystals. It offers them to you, and you accept them, not knowing what to do with them. Mystifyingly, it disappears into the woods again, but moments later reappears to give Kimberly five different sets of what you can only think are morphers.

"Those are very powerful crystals, called the Zeo crystals," it speaks, and you look over at Kimberly, a little amused and she knows why. _It can speak?_ "Those are called Zeonizers. I have been told that this power will be very useful to your friends."

Kimberly looks at you excitedly, which you are sure mirrors your own enthusiasm. Powering down, you know you have to teleport back to the Command Center. Rita and Zedd are not going to win this fight.

* * *

It feels like an eternity before your feet touch the ground again, but they finally do and you lay the crystals and their Zeonizers on the top of the panel, looking at the viewing globe as you do so.

To your utmost dismay, your friends are still looking like they're fighting a losing battle. Trees are on fire, the entire Angel Grove landscape looks like a hurricane and a tornado has passed by it multiple times, and the Zords are languishing, each block a lot more lethargic than the previous.

"Zordon, I know I'm not one of your Rangers anymore, but you need to call them back and get them to use the Zeo crystals," Kim speaks up, a worried edge to her voice and you're glad that she did because you can't tear your eyes away from the viewing globe. You feel the bile rising from your stomach; you're worried sick about the safety of your friends, your city, your world.

"I'll always welcome you into the Command Center, Kimberly. Alpha, please bring the Rangers back here and teleport the Shogunzords back to their resting place," his voice booms out and you watch as the Zords retreat and the Rangers teleport in one by one, each one looking worse for wear. You spring into action quickly, stepping in front of them as they compose themselves, catching their breaths and powering down.

"These are Zeo crystals, they're much more powerful than the power coins." You hold up a Zeonizer, and hand it to Billy. "Take this. I choose you to be the new leader of the Power Rangers."

There is a commotion as everybody else try to speak all at once, most of them variants of the same question. _What about you, Tommy?_ From the corner of your eye, you see Kimberly nod, and with a flourish of coordinated hand movements, you feel the new, unfamiliar energy take control of your body.

"Time for White, power up!"

"Time for Pink, power up!"

There's a stunned moment of silence before another burst of voices invade the Command Center again, and you unlatch your helmet and place it on top of the panel too; Kimberly doing the same.

"Our powers are interlinked but not from the same source, as with the Zords, but you guys need to morph so that we can take Rita and her goons down," you declare, a little angrily at the evil that is wreaking havoc in your home world.

"These five Zeo crystals will power you up to become stronger, better Rangers," you start to explain to them, feeling the air filled with confusion and more questions. "The subdivisions are separated by their colours: Purple, yellow, blue, green and red. Everyone but Aisha will have a colour change, unless, of course," you shrug and deliver your idea of a punchline as you look at the girls, "You want to switch so that everybody get different colours." That earns a smile from everyone, Zordon included, and even Alpha is emitting strange "heh heh" sounds.

The moment over, however, your friends look tentatively at the Zeonizers, and finally swipe them up at the same time, in one synchronized move and strap them on their wrists, looking over at Billy who gives everyone a firm nod as he fingers the Zeonizer. He takes a deep breath.

"It's morphin' time!"

"Zeo Ranger I, purple!"

"Zeo Ranger II, yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III, blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV, green!"

"Zeo Ranger V, red!"

As each sequence lock into place and they absorb the power of the crystal, you feel a surge of pride in all of your friends. It's something you've known all along, but true Rangers of the heart never give up and battles may be lost, but this war is far from over.

You clear your throat quietly, your tongue licking your charred lips. It's going to be an interesting fight to behold. "Back to action!"

* * *

It is just as you expected it to be. With the assistance of the Great Power, the new zords and Kimberly's re-addition to the team, it took little effort to bring Rita and Zedd down, even sizeably reducing their army of Tengas and seriously wounding their warriors. Everything feels so new yet so familiar.

You have to admit though, your favourite part of the battle was when you got to join up with Kimberly's zord and the two of you shared a cockpit for the Megazord.

Thoughts still running through your mind, you leave the others quietly while they were in the midst of exclaiming about how awesome the new powers are, and how the zords are powerful beyond their beliefs. It isn't that you don't want to mingle with them. Rather, you know you have other important business to take care off, and so you set off from the group and out of Surf Spot.

She's standing there, back against the wall and staring off at some distant spot on the horizon. It's just right before sunset, but the sun is still bright enough for the boardwalk to white-washed by the light. A brisk wind whips across, ruffling the awning of the barely-there shelter overhead.

You walk over to her, not really knowing what to say or do. All you know is that you need to have her close, for some inexplicable reason. Can it only be a mere few months that she's been back in your life and turning it upside down? A mere few months that you thought she was the enemy? That's unfathomable, but it is still the truth and it is going to take some time to adjust to it, knowing that the both of you had suffered the same losses all those years before.

She sees you coming, and quirks her mouth into a small, knowing smile.

"Hey." You stop an arm's length away from her.

"I don't have germs, Tommy," she laughs at the distance between, and you smile sheepishly at her. You're mostly just glad to see her well and on her feet, after what had happened in the forest. Barring that though, what you want to do is making your heart beat just that bit faster.

"So, uh, how about – how about I take you out for dinner," you stammer, feeling like you're 16 and faint memories of that fateful day when you asked her out comes to your mind. But you're no longer that boy, no longer trapped in the confusions of the teenage mind…

"I know that I agreed that we should be friends, but now that I think about it, I don't think that's such a great idea."

You stare at her in shock, and your jaw might even be hanging a little open. Didn't you hear her say that she loves you? So why is she –

Why is she inching towards you with that smile on her face? And –

She's gently biting on your lower lip before using her tongue to tease and –

You have no idea what hit you, but one thing's for sure: you're not fighting it or her off as your body goes into autopilot; your hand lifting her chin as you allow her tongue access into your mouth, a low guttural growl that sounds from your throat that you don't recognize as yours until a few moments later.

"You're so cute when you're confused," she sniggers as you break off the kiss for some much-needed oxygen, placing your hand on your forehead as you roll your eyes at yourself.

"You don't think we're jumping back in too fast?" _Yeah, Oliver, say it like you really care about that_. But you think that you're a gentleman through and through, and that's one of the concerns this gentleman has.

She replies without a beat. "Just picking up where we left off." The smile grows on her face, setting the playful twinkle back in her eyes that you miss so much. "We've got a lot of lost time to make up for."

And boy, don't you agree with it whole-heartedly! The look on your face must be a tell-all as she starts chuckling.

"But first, we have to say goodbye."

You feel your heart dropping a few inches nearer to your stomach –

"While I pack up in Florida and move back here. Seriously, too cute," she giggles and when the light dawns you feel like you want to hit your head on the wall. It's too bad that you've missed everything about her, and that doesn't exclude her ability to drive you absolutely batshit crazy.

"You're moving back here?" You hope your tone hovers right around 'hopeful' and not 'desperate for the answer' even though you know that you're certainly feeling the latter.

"Looks like I don't really have a choice, do I?" She shrugs, glancing at the gem that is now hanging from a necklace around your neck; a similar one on hers too. If she's going to move back only because of duty… You frown before you can stop yourself, then in a valiant attempt you decide to switch the topic of discussion so as not to dwell too much on it.

"Zordon asked if we'd like to step down," you start, a little quietly, then you correct yourself immediately. "The Rangers, I mean." During your quick trip back to the Command Center and after the mandatory congratulations of a job excellently done, the old wizard had given the five of them a choice. It doesn't apply to you though and you know that, because the powers of the gems that you share with Kimberly are separate from the powers your friends draw from the Zeo crystals, so no matter what your decision is, you know you'd still be fiercely protecting this Earth and its galaxy until you're physically no longer able to do so.

One thing for sure though: Kimberly and you will be fighting alongside each other again.

"I think Billy makes a fine leader. And he does look damn good in red," she smirks.

You shudder at both yourself and her entertaining the mental images of your friend in spandex outside of battles. "You don't think we're all a little too old for this?"

You hear her chuckle. "We still have years to go! Worst-case scenario, we'll find ourselves an uninhibited planet in the system that slows ageing down. We'll be the hottest Rangers, ever." Jocularity has always been something Kimberly hits on the bullseye, and even you have to laugh at her mock suggestion.

"I hear KO-35's great for that," you join in with a teasing lilt in your voice, after the laughter subsides. At the mention of the other planet she looks at you quizzically. "I'm not as dense as you think I am, Kim. Come on."

She smiles, maybe a little mystifyingly. "I'm not moving back just because of the gem and our duties, you know."

"Then what is it?" You swallow nervously.

The smile on her face grows and she lifts your hand up and treads her fingers in between yours, as she tiptoes and gives you a quick kiss on the side of your lips. Nothing has ever felt more right than this moment in your life, and you tighten the grip on her hand, almost like you're afraid she's going to slip through your fingers again, if you're not careful.

"This."

Time can never kill the true heart.

- FIN -

* * *

**A/N:** And that's the end... For now. :) Reviews are deeply appreciated, as usual, and thank you all so much for sticking around and dropping comments about it, it makes me feel very loved, ahah. Stay tuned for more from me!


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